Cobra (1986)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A hard-edged police lieutenant must protect a witness from a violent cult that believes in killing the weak.
The story
When a mass shooting at a Los Angeles supermarket evolves into a hostage crisis, the Los Angeles Police Department summons Lieutenant Marion "Cobra" Cobretti of their elite "Zombie Squad" to resolve the incident. Cobretti confronts the shooter, who espouses social Darwinist ideals, and kills him before he can execute hostages. Unbeknownst to the authorities, the incident is part of a string of violent crimes committed by the New World, a cult that despises modern society and believes in killing the weak. Ingrid Knudsen, a local model and businesswoman, becomes the New World's priority target after witnessing the group on a killing spree.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the supermarket incident, Ingrid Knudsen is placed under the protective custody of Cobretti and his partner Sergeant Tony Gonzales. Cobretti theorizes an organization is behind the crimes, but his superiors rebuff him. He takes Knudsen to the small town of San Remos, where they fall in love. However, Nancy Stalk, the New World's second-in-command, infiltrates the escort. At dawn, the New World besieges the town on motorcycles. In a shootout, Cobretti kills many cultists, but Gonzales is wounded. Cobretti and Knudsen flee in a pickup truck, which the cultists wreck with a roadblock. They flee to a steel mill, where Cobretti defeats the remaining cultists and Stalk is accidentally shot by the Night Slasher. Cobretti fights the Night Slasher in hand-to-hand combat and impales him on a hook that drags him into a furnace. The California Highway Patrol secures San Remos and rescues Gonzales. Cobretti is cleared by his superiors, but after being chastised again by Detective Monte, he punches Monte in the face before riding away with Knudsen on a motorcycle.
- First release year
- 1986
- Runtime (minutes)
- 89
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- George P. Cosmatos
- Writers
- Sylvester Stallone · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Sylvester Stallone · Marion "Cobra" Cobretti; Brigitte Nielsen · Ingrid Knudsen; Reni Santoni; Andrew Robinson
- Genres
- action; drama; thriller; slasher
- Themes
- Social Darwinism; Violence; Law vs. Vigilantism
- Tone and mood
- Violent; Action-packed; Gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- Police Procedural; Cult; Witness Protection; Slasher
- Source material / true-story basis
- A Running Duck by Paula Gosling
- Content notes
- Excessive Violence
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews for its violence and tropes but was a box office success and is now a cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 24% · review count: 25; Metacritic · score: 25 · scale: 100 · review count: 9; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A to F
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Picture · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actor · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Actress · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Supporting Actor · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst New Star · Nominated; Golden Raspberry Awards · Worst Screenplay · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The script was largely inspired by Stallone's original script for Beverly Hills Cop.; The custom 1950 Mercury driven by Cobretti was actually owned by Sylvester Stallone.; The line "This is where the law stops and I start, sucker!" was inspired by a line spoken by Boon Hogganbeck in The Reivers.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…